In prior art systems, bulky freight items, such as cylindrical rolls of coiled steel wire or sheets, are secured to railcars or other conventional transport vehicles by way of nylon tie-downs. Each roll is secured by a nylon strap running through the eye of the roll, and the ends of the strap are attached to the vehicle. At least one or two additional straps are placed over the top of the cylindrical roll, with the ends of the straps also attached to the vehicle. The use of nylon straps to secure the cylindrical rolls has several disadvantages. First, the straps often break in continual use, and in particular, due to the frictional deterioration incurred during transport as the extremely heavy rolls shift. Also, the nylon straps are subject to theft or loss. Because the straps are not permanently attached to the vehicles, they are easily removed and misplaced. Finally, the method of securing the rolls with the nylon tie-downs is extremely time-consuming, especially considering the large number of rolls being shipped daily.
When shipping alternative freight loads such as logs, pipes, and even pallets of goods, the freight tends to shift during transport. Shifting of the freight can cause damage to the goods and possibly loss of the freight as it can fall off the vehicle en route. While repetitive longitudinal forces acting upon the freight due to stopping and starting can cause the freight to shift, the forces from hunting, caused by chatter between the wheels and the rail, are the most dangerous to the freight.